Stocktoria
CLEVELAND-CLIFFS INC. CLF
CLEVELAND-CLIFFS INC. (CLF) earns a Piotroski F-score of 2/9 (weak financial health), with an Altman Z″ in the distress zone. It pays a dividend yielding 0.72% (safety: no dividend). FY2025 revenue was $18.6B at a -7.9% net margin.
Quality score trend · recomputed for each fiscal year
Each year's score is computed from that year's filing — a rising Piotroski F or Altman Z″ means improving financial health, a fall is worth a look.
Beneish M-score: -3.4 — low (below −2.22 — no manipulation red flag) . A statistical screen for earnings manipulation, not proof — and it doesn't apply to most banks/insurers.
Analyst price target
Recent analyst actions
| Date | Firm | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-22 | Morgan Stanley | Equal-Weight (down) |
| 2026-06-10 | JP Morgan | Neutral (main) |
| 2026-06-09 | GLJ Research | Hold (up) |
| 2026-06-04 | Wells Fargo | Equal-Weight (main) |
| 2026-05-22 | Barclays | Underweight (init) |
| 2026-04-21 | Morgan Stanley | Overweight (main) |
Wall Street analyst consensus — a sentiment gauge, not our scoring.
Smart money · insiders, last 12 months
Open-market insider purchases minus sells (SEC Form 4) — real buying with their own money is a bullish “smart money” signal; grants and option exercises are excluded.
How it ranks in Mining & Extraction · percentile among 189 companies
Percentile vs other Mining & Extraction companies we cover — e.g. “stronger than 90%” means only 10% score higher on that measure.
Piotroski F breakdown · 2/9 tests passed
- Positive return on assets
- Positive operating cash flow
- Rising ROA
- Cash flow exceeds net income
- Lower long-term debt
- Rising current ratio
- No share dilution
- Rising gross margin
- Rising asset turnover
Altman Z″ components · distress zone
| Component | Value |
|---|---|
| Working capital / assets | 0.157 |
| Retained earnings / assets | -0.026 |
| EBIT / assets | -0.079 |
| Equity / liabilities | 0.462 |
Sector peers · similar-size Mining & Extraction companies compare side by side →
| Ticker | Company | Piotroski F | Altman Z″ | P / E | Revenue growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLF | CLEVELAND-CLIFFS INC. | 2/9 | 0.9 | — | -3% |
| SCCO | SOUTHERN COPPER CORP/ | 4/9 | 6.12 | — | +17.4% |
| FCX | FREEPORT-MCMORAN INC | 3/9 | 2.89 | — | +1.8% |
| MP | MP Materials Corp. / DE | 3/9 | 4.52 | — | +10.1% |
| IE | Ivanhoe Electric Inc. | 4/9 | 3.29 | — | — |
| ALOY | REALLOYS INC. | 4/9 | -0.25 | — | — |
| USAR | USA Rare Earth, Inc. | 3/9 | 3.59 | — | — |
All Mining & Extraction companies →
About CLEVELAND-CLIFFS INC.
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. operates as a steel producer in the United States and Canada. It offers hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and coated products, such as aluminized, electrogalvanized, and galvalume products, as well as galvanneal and hot-dipped galvanized products; stainless and electrical products, including GOES, NOES, and auto chrome; plate products; and slab and other steel products. The company also provides non- steelmaking products comprising stamped components, tool and die, and tubing; and scrap, iron ore, HBI, coal, and coke products. It also provides tubular components, including carbon steel, stainless steel, and electric resistance welded tubing products. In addition, the company is involved in the mining of iron ore; production of pellets and direct reduced iron; and processing of ferrous scrap through primary steelmaking and downstream finishing, stamping, tooling, and tubing. It serves direct automotive, infrastructure and manufacturing, distributors and converters, and steel producers. The company was formerly known as Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. and changed its name to Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. in August 2017. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.
FAQ
Is CLF financially healthy?
CLEVELAND-CLIFFS INC.'s Piotroski F-score is 2/9 (8–9 is excellent, 0–3 weak), and its Altman Z″ distress score is in the distress zone.
Does CLF pay a dividend, and is it safe?
Yes. CLEVELAND-CLIFFS INC. pays a dividend yielding about 0.72% with a None payout ratio, rated “no dividend” for safety.
How profitable is CLF?
In FY2025, CLEVELAND-CLIFFS INC. had a net margin of -7.9% and a return on equity of -23.4%.
Is CLF overvalued or undervalued?
CLEVELAND-CLIFFS INC. trades at about 16.3× trailing earnings — above its 10-year norm (10-year range 3.2×–26.7×, median 12.6×). Stocktoria reports the data, not buy/sell advice.
What is the analyst price target for CLF?
The average Wall-Street price target for CLEVELAND-CLIFFS INC. is $11.75, about 4.1% below the recent price, from 10 analysts (consensus: hold).
Is CLF a good stock to buy?
Stocktoria doesn't give buy or sell advice, but here is the data on CLEVELAND-CLIFFS INC.: a Piotroski F-score of 2/9, an Altman Z″ in the distress zone, a dividend yield of 0.72%. Weigh these quality and valuation signals against your own goals.
Computed from company filings · US · as of 2025-12-31. Facts plus Stocktoria's own computed scores — not investment advice.